The wheels of government grind slowly. Much slower than the wheels of car drivers, which grind very aggressively.
Back in April 2023, after months of being denied the information by the Department of Transportation, then-Streetsblog reporter Julianne Cuba filed a Freedom of Information request with the office of the Chief Medical Examiner. The goal? To figure out the racial demographics of the New Yorkers who are being killed by drivers.
Last week, we finally got the data — and it's pretty awful. Not only do roughly 125 vulnerable road users meet their demise on the city's roadways every year, but the victims are disproportionately Hispanic and Asian and less-than-proportionally white.
The chart below breaks down the shares by percentage of victims where race was known ("unknown" is roughly 1-4 percent every year):
As you can see:
- Asian New Yorkers represented 21.4 percent of the dead last year even though they comprise just 15.6 percent of the population, a disproportion that likely reflects the percentage of delivery workers who are Asian (delivery work being one of the city's most-dangerous jobs).
- Hispanic New Yorkers comprised 31 percent of the victims last year, though they are just 28.7 percent of the population, also likely a reflection of dangerous deliverista work.
- Meanwhile, white New Yorkers, who are 31 percent of the population, comprise 27.6 percent of the victims. (The share of white biking and pedestrian victims has been dropping — possibly as a result of all the nice bike lanes and pedestrian improvements that have been made in white neighborhoods, as Streetsblog has reported).
- And in previous years, Black New Yorkers were overrepresented among the victims, but last year, their portion of the population and the fatalities was more or less even.
Here's another way of looking at all that, at least for last year:
We'll be digging into the data a bit more closely over the next few days, but for now, we'll just say the obvious: A single lost life is too many, but the Adams administration must make good on its commitment to bring safety improvements to all communities.
In other news:
- Yesterday, we decried the New York Times for reporting that the construction of bike lanes in Paris and the murder of a cyclist were morally equivalent (a position later backed up by Streetsblog USA Editor Kea Wilson), but the Gray Lady's windshield perspective never fails to amaze us: On Monday, the print edition carried an article about how big box retailers are now adding EV charging posts to attract customers — a story that never bothered to mention that the move will encourage more driving and with it all the negative impacts of driving (albeit with less tailpipe emissions). In fact, the very slight advantage that EVs have over internal combustion vehicles evaporates as people do more and more driving amid all of our sprawl. But, of course, establishment house organs tend to see anything that aids drivers as a good thing even when it is not.
- It turns out Mets owner Steve Cohen was lying when he said he wanted to turn the Citi Field parking lot into a park (and a casino). It turns out, he's turning the parking lot into more parking lots (and a casino). Hell Gate had the scoop.
- The Daily News had more on Dwight Downer, the beloved Bronx football coach who was killed at an intersection that he'd previously complained about.
- From the assignment desk: We'll be heading up to E. 96th Street in Manhattan to watch DOT Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez and MTA Chairman and CEO Janno Lieber cut the ribbon on a dedicated crosstown bus lane between Second and West End avenues. The project — which was needlessly controversial — adds 1.7 miles of bus lanes to the mayor's woefully inadequate count. But it will speed commutes for 15,000 people every day. The fun starts at 10:30 a.m. at Madison Avenue.
- Another pedestrian was killed, this time in Brooklyn. (Brooklyn Paper; hat tip to the Daily News for running the plate)
- Read all about how Joco, the bike-share company that the DOT almost put out of business, retooled and survived. (TechCrunch)
- If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck ... it's a story. (Gothamist)
- Meet Josh Richards, who is walking every block. (NY Post)
- We're still waiting to hear about the annual Fifth Avenue open street around Rockefeller Center. But for now, here are two days of car restrictions around the lighting of the famous tree. (amNY, Gothamist times two)
- State Sen. Brad Hoylman-Sigal destroyed his run for Manhattan Borough President in his first comments, listing "dangerous e-bikes" as the most important problem facing the city, just ahead of "never-ending scaffolding or people struggling with mental health crises or addiction." Statistically, at least, "dangerous e-bikes" are probably not even in the top 20 of problems facing the city. (amNY)
- I still don't think the "Plus Pool" is ever happening. (Gothamist)
- And finally, we would be remiss if we did not thank yesterday's donors to our annual fundraising drive. So we thank you! Thanks, Luke! Thanks, Daisy (and condolences)! Thanks, Mark F.! Thanks, Mark G! Thanks, Andy! Thanks, Gail! Thanks, Cecil! Thanks, Michael! Thanks, Charlie! Thanks, Charles!
